Instead, what you get is a book that celebrates life and all of its complexities.Event: Jeannine Atkins, Ellen Wittlinger, and Jo Knowles These bright spots lightened what could have been an overly heavy novel. And I appreciated the elements of humor sprinkled throughout. Knowles is never heavy-handed or overly sappy. “Still a Work in Progress” is a realistic look at navigating middle school. Noah harbors guilt for something he has no control over, and he finds himself walking on eggshells not only with his sister but his parents as well. Throughout “Still a Work in Progress” you see how Emma’s eating disorder affects everyone she comes in contact with, especially her family. Often, people would forget that his illness was not just his it was our family’s. But as I settled in, those antics took a backseat to Noah and his story.Īs I’ve mentioned before, I grew up with a sick brother. They’re not something I can really relate to. I think my initial struggle cam in part because of the seventh-grade-boy antics that happen early on. Things are not better, and seventh grade will not be normal.Īt first, I had a hard time getting into “Still a Work in Progress.” A put it aside a few times before dedicating an uninterrupted half hour to really give it a chance. Her crazy food rules are becoming stricter and her clothes baggier. He thought she’d been doing better ever since the Thing They Don’t Talk About. Noah’s older sister, Emma, is acting weird again. There, he can mold a piece of clay and disappear into another world. And even Noah’s friends are giving in to their hormones.Ībout the only place Noah feels comfortable is in art class. Seventh grade is when everything seems to change and it all changes at different rates. Seventh grade is hard enough in an average-sized school, but it’s even harder when you don’t even have the opportunity to hide in a crowd. His school is so small, they hold a community meeting every week in the school’s old music room, and everyone must attend.
Noah lives in a place where everyone knows everyone. “Still a Work in Progress,” by Jo Knowles, is one such book.
The past year or so has seen a great onslaught of real kids dealing with real situations. 2, 2016, Hardcover, $16.99 (ages 10-14)įor a long time, it seemed like everything coming out in the middle-grade market was firmly entrenched in fantasy/magical genres. “ STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS,” by Jo Knowles, Candlewick, Aug.
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